Pony squasher advice?

[fiwen30]

I will start by saying this is entirely hypothetical!
The year-long loan on my mare is almost up, and I'm starting to consider my options after her. I'll be starting at a rising school again for more instruction, and to try out different sizes and types of horses, but I was pondering that age old question - how small is too small? I'm 5'3 at a push, 8 stone on the dot, and I stopped growing a while ago!

I'm currently at a private yard with only the YO, and my mare is the titchy one at 15hh. The other horses are 16.2hh+, and the only other horse I've had recent experience on is the YO's 17.1hh mare which feels rather like being a pea on a mountain! Being surrounded by these giants every day gives one a rather warped perspective of size, so how diddy a pony so you reckon I could get away with?

 

[Shay]

You could probably go down to at least 13.2 depending on size of bone. (The horse - not you!) My daughter is your size and still looks fine on her old 13hh cob - and just as good on her 14.2 SJ'r. In my view natives tend to look better under an adult than finer show type ponies. Some smaller ponies are really bred to carry adults - like Fells or Icelandics. I must admit once I realised that being taller than you and certainly a bit heavier did not restrict me to massive weight bearing cobs / heavy horse crosses I have had a new freedom. I love riding ponies. They think differently, they are far easier to handle on the ground, they are cheaper to keep, cheaper to buy rugs for, tend to need the vet less and live longer. Get pony squashing!

 

[Emsarr]

I'm 5'6/7 and weigh anything between 10 and 11 stone (I yoyo alot and don't notice, food is my friend!) and had to school a 10.1 Shetland and somehow didn't look overly bad on him but wouldn't go out of my way to do this, in that situation it was for the safety of the 4yo jockey he belonged too and nearly injured on several occasions. I also worked on a trekking centre where my normal horses were 14.1ish and both quite light legged, I did go down to a 13.2 Highland and up to 16.3 sports horses but I liked to stick with my 14.1s. All of the horses were happy to go for a good, fast gallop (often with a lack of brakes) and pop the odd fallen tree with no problems as well as go for hacks up to 6hours with a half hour break and quite a bit of trot/canter and were grand, never lame either.
I LOVE ponies, they are so much more fun, have nicer quirks, easier to stick too and less distance to fall off. I also like the fact that if you get into a sticky situation, a pony will have the sense to get out of it whereas a horse just gets in a worse one!

 

[Kat]

I'm 5ft8 and weigh considerably more than 8st. When I am not riding my horse I ride my friend's 13.2hh pony, she manages me fine, and I don't look or feel big on her. In fact I tend to forget how close to the ground I am until I dismount!

Also look up JFTD'S posts for adult on a pony inspiration!

 

[Wiz201]

Our 12 hand welsh section A would carry you no problem

 

[kirstys 1]

Our 12 hand welsh section A would carry you no problem

Mine too - all day long!

 

[jodean]

You say you are going back to a riding school. That's a good way to see how you feel and fit on different sizes and types. Then one day, you'll suddenly find the right one and everything else will fly out of the window! Good luck.